A typical hook-and-loop fastener has one part or tape provided with a multiplicity of loops, that is U-shaped filaments anchored at both sides, and another part or tape formed with a multiplicity of J-shaped hooks that are anchored only at one point and that are flexible so they can engage in the hooks and hold the two tapes together. Such fasteners are particularly useful on clothing since they are easy to open and close, they can be laundered without harm, and they have no hard parts that can hurt the user. This makes them ideal for use on diapers, where the fact that their effectiveness is not affected detrimentally by moisture, creams, or powder is a big advantage.
Typically the female or loop tape is fixed to the front cuff area of the diaper. A mail hook tape attached laterally on the back of diaper completes the hook-and-loop fastener.
When used on a disposable diaper the hook-and-loop fastener is a particularly good location to provide printed matter. The textile material carrying the hooks should have the lowest possible mass/volume ratio so it can be made produced in a cost-effective manner. It should also be translucent so that printing on the surface of the support layer and the repeating pattern markings are visible for further processing of the tape. Despite of its low weight, the textile material must ensure a sufficient latching with hooks of the associated fastening tape. A sufficient number of freely movable loops and fibers, the function of which may not be influenced by any adhesion of the support layer to the textile cover layer, is required. Last but not least the material should appeal to the consumer. The aim is for optical and feel properties of a textile material.
Such a laminated loop tape is known from EP 1 690 967. The support layer is comprised of a single- or multi-layer plastic foil, polyolefins, polyester, polyamides, mixtures and copolymerisates of these polymers typically being used. The textile cover layer has a surface structure suitable for the anchoring hooks, and is adhered to the plastic foil. A good hook-and-loop effect is achieved by adhering the two layers together not over their full confronting faces, but only in uniformly spaced regions, leaving intervening regions that are not adhered together. This way the hooks are easy to latch to the surface loops and the fibers of the textile material in the adhesive-free areas. Despite a printing of the foil support layer, the appeal of the material still requires improvement. The textile effect of the material is lost with the shiny surface of the plastic foil. Furthermore, the foil is relatively stiff so that the laminated loop tape is perceived as a foreign body on the surface of the diaper. Finally, the laminated loop tape forms airtight areas, which are considered objectionable to the consumer, since the surrounding areas of the diaper are usually made of breathable material.